Acting Chairman Ann Marie Buerkle: Speaks out on the Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Furniture Tipovers
November 22, 2017, cpsc.gov
The acting chairman voted in support of today’s Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking because “I believe the Commission would benefit from input from all stakeholders on how to most appropriately address the serious safety hazard posed by furniture tipovers.” However, she goes on to explain her concerns about some of the conclusions set forth in the package.
States Continue to Enact Chemical Legislation in 2017
November 29, 2017. Lexology, (Beveridge & Diamond PC)
State legislatures have been relatively active on chemical and material regulations in 2017. At least 51 bills to regulate chemicals were introduced across the country’s state houses in 2017. Affected states include New York, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Rhode Island, California, and Washington State. The status of all these proposed bills is charted.
Testimony: There’s no ‘reef-safe’ sunscreen
December 2, 2017, The Maui News
Saying there is “no such thing as reef-safe sunscreen,” representatives from the Consumer Healthcare Products Association spoke out against Maui County’s proposed ban on sunscreen containing certain chemicals. The bill, introduced by Council Member Elle Cochran, would prohibit the sale and use of sunscreen carrying oxybenzone and octinoxate, which some blame for coral reef damage.
CPSC vs. Zen Magnets: Not Knowing When To Quit
November 29, 2017, nbherard
Last month Former CPSC Commissioner Nancy Nord spoke at the University of Pennsylvania Law School on how regulators balance competing priorities. She used the CPSC’s actions on Zen Magnets [1] as one example. The Zen Magnets case, she believes, “is especially relevant since it dramatically illustrates how regulators, acting in the first instance with the best of intentions, can pursue their regulatory and enforcement goals with such fervor as to distort and pervert the consumer safety objectives central to the agency’s mission.”
U.S. CPSC publishes NPR for accredited labs to comply with CPSIA Phthalates
November 27, 2017, 4-traders.com
The US Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) has published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPR) to allow existing accredited laboratories two years to update their scope of accreditation to the latest method for CPSIA phthalates. If approved, the final rule could become effective sometime in 2018.
Joseph Martyak Named as CPSC’s New Director of Communications
November 29, 2017, cpsc.gov
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Acting Chairman Ann Marie Buerkle announced that Joseph J. Martyak has returned to CPSC to serve as Director of the Office of Communications. He will report directly to Acting Chair Buerkle, for whom he previously served as chief counsel.
California cracks down on weed killer as lawsuits abound
November 8, 2017, News-Medical Life Sciences
Hundreds of lawsuits are pending in federal and state courthouses around the United States claiming that Monsanto’s glysophate, a core ingredient in its popular Round-Up pesticide has caused cancer. Adding fuel to the first, in July, California added glyphosate to its list of cancer-causing chemicals under the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, popularly known as Proposition 65. Monsanto vigorously contests the claims, stating that science is on their side.
Opinion: A Consumer Product Safety Commission for cyber?
November 28, 2017, Public Sector Media Group
Claiming that the U.S. needs a governance system — to include enforcement, incentives and penalties — to ensure effective implementation of stronger security design practices. Where better to look for a model example, the writer points out, than the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Snyder administration wants all lead pipes in Michigan replaced within 20 years, delay of water quality deadline
November 29, 2017, Crain’s Detroit
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s administration is planning to require the replacement of every underground lead service pipe in Michigan within 20 years while delaying by four years a deadline to implement the nation’s toughest lead limit for drinking water, in the wake of the Flint lead crisis.
China Releases New Standard for Clothing with Filling – GB/T 2662-2017
November 29, 2017, nbherard.com
The National Technical Committee of Garments of the Standardization Administration of China has issued an updated version of its product standard GB/T 2662 for clothes with fillings. The 2017 version of the standard replaces the 2008 version and will be implemented on December 1, 2017. The new standard was included in No. 11 announcement 2017, of newly approved national standards in the People’s Republic of China.
